New beginning for Jasper County football

Anthony Garzilli/Jasper County Sun Amar Wilkins, a former Hardeeville Hurricane, works on defensive back drills.

Anthony Garzilli/Jasper County Sun Rising senior De'Quan Mitchell runs through drills during Ridgeland-Hardeeville High's first day of football practice.

Blake Raley was fitted in unfamiliar colors at an unfamiliar place when football practice began last week.

The Ridgeland-Hardeeville High coach sported a red cap and black long-sleeved shirt as he strolled around the field in Ridgeland.

Gone are the orange and green colors of Hardeeville High, the school he coached for five years.

Raley’s spent the last six weeks clearing his closets of Hurricanes apparel and preparing to coach the red-and-black clad Jaguars. He saved one Hurricanes T-shirt, but he’s committed to leading Jasper County’s combined high school to success.

The quest to thrive in SCHSL Region 6-AA began at midnight July 27 and picked up nine hours later. The practices featured 45 players and Raley hopes he’ll have 65 when the season starts, including about 30 from Hardeeville.

Raley thinks the merging of schools strengthened the football team.

“Each side got some reinforcements,” he said.

Rising seniors De’Quan Mitchell and Garretson Seeden are excited about the merger. Since competing as teammates in a 7-on-7 passing competition at Battery Creek in June, the players — who had never met — have gotten along and say the team is bonding.

Mitchell quickly noticed the team has talent.

“I saw at the 7-on-7 that we might actually do something this year,” said Mitchell, a two-way lineman.

Seeden moved last year from Fayetteville, N.C., to Hardeeville. He played under Raley as the Hurricanes went 2-8. A wide receiver and safety, Seeden said everybody has been getting along and thinks the team will do well.

“We could be better than we were last year,” he said.

The last season the county competed as one school was 2006, when the Class AA Jaguars went 0-10.

Keeping it simple

The practice focused on the basics.

The defensive backs worked on backpedaling and getting in position for deep passes. The running backs refreshed their memories on assignments, going in motion when the quarterback taps his foot and getting used to the cadence.

The repetitions were routine, but repeated again and again to become instinct.

Mitchell is used to former Ridgeland coach Richard Kirkland’s power running game. Raley likes to run, but will also go to spread sets and look to pass.

“That excites me,” Mitchell said.

The quarterback competition is between rising junior D.J. Myers, Ridgeland’s junior varsity quarterback last season, and rising sophomore Devontae Waiters, who last season saw limited time for Hardeeville before breaking his left (non-throwing) wrist Oct. 14 against Allendale-Fairfax.

Raley thinks the Hurricanes’ core will be part of the combined team, including senior Amar Wilkins, junior Devontae Doe and sophomores Santonio Ford and Gavin Bush.

Raley said he has a solid group of 18 players to build with, but noted it is premature to name a starting lineup.

A goal was to be competitive at the team’s first scrimmage Friday at Colleton Prep, where Raley hoped to run basic offensive and defensive packages.

“We’ll see how we react to schemes we haven’t seen, but the main thing is to make sure guys are not loafing,” he said.

Raley’s not ready to make predictions, but hopes the team will have the community’s support.

“Some people might still be bitter about things and some people might want to see us fall flat on our face, but hopefully a majority of people will get behind these kids,” Raley said. “The football team is often the face of the school and in this situation they have a clean slate, so we’ll see what we can put together.”